Information Skills Instruction

Do your students know how to navigate the information resources relevant to their subject area? Part of my remit as subject librarian is to provide instruction in the use of print and electronic library resources, and one of my personal interests is 'information literacy' (IL).

"Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner" (CILIP Information Literacy Definition. Accessed: 6 Feb. 2006). The American Library Association also has a very good document giving Information Literacy Standards for Science and Technology (draft).

I would not expect that students or even staff will intuitively know how to access and use the wide variety of frequently evolving resources provided by the library. These are learned key skills and I'm happy to provide instruction - from a 20 minute overview to hands-on searching demonstrations in a computer lab. Please contact me if you'd like to discuss further or arrange a session for your students. k.l.jones at bath.ac.uk or ext. 5809.